Breaking Point
by HopefulMoonQuotes
Summary: What if things went differently when Zuko faced his father? An AU based on a favorite Zutara Artist on DA their info will be in the A/N. WARNING THIS IS DARK! IF YOU DON'T LIKE OR CAN'T READ TORTURE DON'T TOUCH THIS. M for violence and language.


**Warning: This is gonna be really REALLY sad i you don't think you can handle torture then don't read this. Trust me bruh.**

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Zuko twisted and pulled at his restraints as much as he could, making the shackles shake with a light echo as he fought them. Although in a dark room with the only exit being the front door he knew exactly where he was. _The Dragon's Pit. _Underneath the Royal Dungeon was a level of personal rooms where the prisoners were tortured until information was give or when the Fire Lord pleased. Knowing his sire Zuko didn't doubt prisoners stayed down here more than they needed too. _I'll probably die in here. _Although Zuko had been down there enduring a week worth's of whippings, beating, and humiliation he couldn't be more zen. He had spoken up to his father and although he was caught shortly after he was finally honest with himself.

*One Week Earlier *

_He took a deep breath before opening up the metal doors. There in the underground caves he was standing in front of the man who took everything away from him, was sipping tea. The only thing between them was a line of heavily armored royal guards. _

_"Prince Zuko, what are you doing here?" the fire lord spoke. Zuko only stepped forward a few feet. _

_"Why are you here?" his sire repeated._

_"I'm here to tell the truth." the younger man spoke keeping a scowl on his face. He may have the possible upper hand momentarily but that didn't take away from the terror of making his father truly listen to him. _

_"Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse. This should be interesting." the venom of the Fire Lord's tone slipped passed his lips as he waved off his guards. Once the door closed behind them Zuko spoke once again. He was going to confess it all. _

_"First of all in Ba Sing Se it was Azula who took down the Avatar, not me." Zuko gestured his arms around to draw out his point. _

_The Fire Lord leaned forward, "Why would she lie to me about that?" only seeming slightly shocked his daughter had lied to him. _

_"Because the Avatar's not dead. He survived.". Now that baffled the man on the throne. _

_"What!?" _

_"In fact he's probably leading this invasion. He could be here on his way now.". Anger boiled over the Fire Lord as he stood, he wouldn't have this. _

_"Get out!" pointing towards the door, "Get out of my sight now if you know what good for you." his tongue was rapid as he spoke the heat of the situation was getting to him, but his son only stood in place with a calm expression. "That's another thing, I'm not taking orders from you anymore."_

_The Fire Lord was fuming now, " You will obey me or this defiant breath shall be your last!". He had enough of the boy, after everything he did to for him only to have him sass back at his throne. He was the Fire Lord as such he was going to teach the brat another lesson, but as soon as he stood Zuko pulled at his dao swords and taking figurative and literal stance,"Think again." the Fire Lord faltered standing in place." I'm going to speak my mind and __**you **__are going to listen.". The ruler weighed his options, for now he sat back down. _

_"For so long all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor that I wanted but really I was just trying to please you." The young prince's anger was well as repressed anger was rising up as he spoke,"You my father banished me just for talking out of turn." Zuko pointed on of his swords to emphasize his point. "You my father who challenged me a thirteen year old boy to an Angi Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?". _

_"It was to teach you respect." Ozai snipped he never liked being lectured. _

_"It was cruel! And it was wrong." _

_"And you've learned nothing." _

_"No, I've learned everything! And I had to learn it on my own." Zuko was letting all go now he would cleanse himself with venting an his father would sit there and listen, one last time. "Growing up we were taught the the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history, and some how the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world." the Fire Lord's scowl deepen. His own child disgracing his homeland in such a way was almost vile. "What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation! They don't see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We've created an era of fear in the world and if we don't want the world to destroy itself we need to replace it, with an era of peace and kindness." _

_Instantly his sire gave a hardy chuckle. "Your uncle has gotten to you hasn't he?" he suggested with a smile of a serpent. _

_Zuko breathed in and then out, "Yes, he has." he answered with a small smile of his own. _

_This did not amuse the Fire Lord, but Zuko spoke again before he could retort. "After I leave here today I'm going to free Uncle Iroh from his prison and I'm gonna beg for his forgiveness. He's the one who's be a real father to me. This once again only cause a laugh as a reaction to Zuko's words. _

_"Oh that's just beautiful. Maybe he could pass down the ways of tea and failure." _

_Unfazed by his insults Zuko continued,"But I've come to a decision.". The last confession Zuko need to get off his chest," I'm going to join the Avatar and I'm going to help him defeat you." _

_"Really? This you're a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I'm powerless, you've got your swords. Why don't you just do it now?" _

_"Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the Avatar's destiny." Zuko had finally said it all and with it he put his swords back in his sheath. "Goodbye." was he said before he turned around to leave his now former ruler, his father just like that; free on any past strings towards him. _

_Ozai wouldn't have it though. To have his son scold him only to not fight him. It was pathetic in his eyes, he wouldn't have it. _

_"Coward!" he shouted, "You think you're brave enough to face me but you'll only do it during an eclipse. If you have any __**real **__courage you'll stick around until the sun comes out." Zuko kept walking though he didn't care anymore of what his father thought of him. He knew if he gave into this game he probably wouldn't make it out of here alive. The prince was almost at the door before the next few words glued Zuko right where he was. _

_"Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?" Zuko turned around a scowl planted on his face. For all he knew he could be lying. That is where Azula got it anyway, lure your prey with tempting bait. And boy was this bait tempting, and Zuko needed to know._

_"What happened that night?" Zuko demanded _

_"My father, Fire Lord Azulon had commanded me to do the unthinkable to you my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted to the throne and she proposed a plan a plan in which I would become Fire Lord and your life would be spared." _

_The air was almost too thick the lines seem to be adding up in Zuko's brain but he still wasn't sure he could believe it. _

_"Your mother did vicious treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason was __**banished**__." _

_A tear slipped from Zuko's un-scarred eye. His own mother exiled, just like him only to protect him for her husband. But more importantly she was banished, not dead. "So she's alive." _

_"Perhaps." Ozai shrugged, "Now I realize banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper." The older firebender felt the sun's rays come back to him and within a flash he had called upon lightening to strike down his only son. _

_But Zuko had also felt the sun and immediately used his uncle's technique to hold the lighting and shoot it straight back at his father. Chaos ensued, there was an explosion that not only shot back the Fire Lord but the prince as well. The guards had been waiting by the door ran back into to the room. Two went to aid their fallen leader as the rest circled their once prince on the ground, pointing spears directly at him. Zuko only stood to see he was surrounded. He couldn't go down like this. He needed to free uncle, to redeem himself to the avatar, to find his mother. Zuko went to strike only to have his head bashed from behind. A concussion was coming, he fell onto the ground he's mind already hazing out. _

_"Get this traitor out of my sight until I know what to do with him." was all Zuko heard before had let darkness take him. _

_*Present*_

The door opened and the candles mounted of the walls instantly lit. The light revealed Zuko's battered body. They hadn't bathed him so along with the smell and dirt had some week old dried blood caked in his hair. There were cuts and bruises all over his body but his biggest and freshest was the cut that was given to him yesterday that started at his left collarbone and went right under his right nipple. Though he couldn't be concerned with his wounds right now, for his daily visit with his father was about to begin.

As expected the Fire Lord strode in with the most amused look on his face. Zuko was really getting sick in his own father's pleasure in seeing his son in pain.

Ozai continued to walk up to the ex-prince until he was about three to four feet away. "So do you feel like giving up anything about the avatar today?" he asked in a mocking tone. This bemused Zuko, his first 3 days in here were just plain torture with no questions. It wasn't until the fourth day did his sire start the actual intergation, and now he seems to not really care if Zuko answers or not. Something was up.

Zuko only spit at his feet in response, his only reaction to any question really.

"Figured as much." Ozai said with a smile,"Bring her in." as turned to faced the door. Zuko looked to the door to see the unimaginable. A guard throwing in the waterbender he had been chasing alongside her friends for almost a year now. She let out an "oof" as she was thrown at the Fire Lord's feet. She tried to get up but with her hands tied behind causing her to struggle with the simple task. Zuko's fists clenched as the Fire Lord gripped the back of Katara's tunic. "Let her go!" was all Zuko said but in his mind he was screaming questions.

_"How could this have happened?"_

_"Where is the rest of the group?"_

_"How could everything gone so wrong so quickly?" _

"You're probably wondering why I brought this water wench with me. You see I had sent Azula to bring the Avatar and his petty little group of children back." Ozai drew out as if he was telling a folktale. "She and her fleet destroyed the Western Air Temple along with this one's friends." he shook the girl in his grasp to emphasize his point. Zuko couldn't believe it though he looked to Katara's slightly beaten face. She was looking down but the tears falling silently from her face confirmed that Azula had really killed his and the world's only hope for peace. Zuko demanded for Katara's release again. He didn't really know her but he knew she didn't deserve to be tortured like he was, no one did.

"Oh, I don't think so." Ozai replied venomously, "In fact I have something in store of us right now." and with a snap of his fingers two guards came in with tools, three pegs and a four foot long wooden pole. They stepped in front of their Fire Lord and quickly nailing the pegs to the pole and to the floor, making sure it was secure. In this time Ozai undid the waterbender's binds and dropped to the floor like the trash he thought she was. The guards quickly picked up her arms and rope and tied her hands to the pole that was in front of her.

Katara lay there limp not bothering to move to her own accord. Why bother? She was using all her energy to stay conscious and even if she had the strength to, where would she go? Her brother and friends are all dead, and her father and adult allies are all locked up somewhere, if not dead already. Everything was pointless. Everything was numb. In fact the only feeling the teenage girl was confusing. If they were going to beat her some more or hopefully kill her, why in front of the Fire Prince? Why should he care? She was also confused on why he was even tied and battered as bad as her. Though she didn't seem to care, he could rot here for the rest of his life and if she had the energy to she'd smile.

Once the guards were finished they bowed before leaving their master to his villainous work. A small smile graced the Fire Lord's face as he stepped back behind the peasant and yanked at her tunic until it ripped from the back exposing her back. Her tattered shirt fell leaving only her bindings to cover her upper body.

Zuko soon realized what was going on, but before he could retort his sire cracked a fire whip against Katara's back. The once dull girl screamed in agony, hot tears immediately rolled down her cheeks. Ozai cracked another whip eager to severely burn the girl. He kept whipping her with all the gusto he had and between his pathetic son's pleas and the girl's hollering his majesty's cheshire smile grew wider and wider.

Seventeen.

Seventeen is the number of times Fire Lord Ozai whipped the waterbender.

He called out for his guards once more ordering them to take her to his harem. "I'll deal with you later Water peasant." and just as soon as she was in the room she had left.

"Why?" was all Zuko could ask lifting head to reveal dry tear stains.

"When I marred you physically all those years ago I thought I had taught you respect, now I see I had to mentally scar you to get through to you."

"You tortured an innocent girl just to teach me a lesson!" Zuko raged.

"You did this to yourself Zuko if you had only been a obedient prince like you were suppose to, that innocent girl might have been in your harem."

"You bastard!"

"My, such a vulgar word to use in front of your sire." Ozai mocked turning around and leaving his disgrace of a son behind him. "Duty calls, have a nice life down here son." he said at the door way. That was the last time Zuko ever saw him.

Frustrated and mad at him self the ex-prince began to scream. He stood the best he could and pulled at his chains, continuing to scream. He soon became so enraged he shot fire from his mouth.

_Why did this all go so badly?_

_How could I let this happen?_

_Is there any honor in is?_

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**(A/N:) I am sick and twisted for writing this but I honestly feel like this is what Ozai would do. This is a one-shot based on a personal favorite piece of fan-art called "Zuko Captured" by Kuro-Akumako. It's been on DA for a while so their might be other inspired pieces but I honestly couldn't help myself but you should look it up after you read this. Please leave a review about how you feel about this one shot. **

**PS If you're curious about my other two projects I will be uploading them today, sorry adulthood kind of kick my ass these past few months. **


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